Continuous cooking apparatus



April 17, 1951 G. ASHTON CONTINUOUS OOOKINO APPARATUS Filed Dec. 22, 1947 Patented Apr. 17, 1951 George Ashton, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 22, 1947, Serial No. 793,125'

I his inventionl relates to continuous cooking apparatus, and more particularly to.an apparatus designed `to carry matter to be `cooked through a cooking fluid, `whereby said matter is 'cookedby a continuousprocess as-'itis moved 'through the cooking medium.

Among the salient `objects of this invention are: To provide in `an apparatus of the character referred to a conveyor' of open m'esh material with means for moving it through a container of deep oil or deep fat or other cooking uid vsuitable for Vthe matterto be cooked, and which ,conveyor is provided with scraping means on its under side for continuously scraping the bottom of said container as it moves therethrough to remove particles of food which may fall through the conveyor and the burning of which causes carbon and fluid useless;

renders the cooking reclaim. (01.99%408) To provide in such an apparatus, on the under I side of the conveyor, a plurality of scraping 'members arranged in staggered relationship so that a following scraper member will move` in alinement with a gap or juncture of the preceding scraper members, thus insuring thatthe entire surface of the bottom of the container will be continually cleaned of particles or solid matters which might burn'and cause deteriora- `tion ofthe cooking Huid;

,To provide inY combination with such a conftinuous cooking apparatusmeansfor salting the matter to be cooked as it emerges from the cooking uid before it cools thus insuring a more perfect adhesion of the salt to the product;

t To provide in combinatiori.A with a continuous 'wiremesh conveyor a cooperating endless conveyor, the lower'lap of which-runs in proximity to the supporting surface of the main conveyor, whereby to hold the matter on the main conveyor to be cooked so that it will move in a submerged condition through the cooking iiuid;

To provide in combination with such an apparatus means for applying suction through a conveyor for the cooked matter, as it is carried on another conveyor, whereby to remove all fumes, odors or other matter or 'moisture from the cooked product;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following more detailed description of one practical embodiment of the invention, taken with the accompanying drawings illustrating the same, and in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an apparatus embodying the invention; and l Figure 2 is a cross sectional view thereof taken on the line 2--2 on Fig. l, showing the conveyors and the scraping members.

In the drawings, the supporting structure or frame is designated by the reference numerals 3, 3, and can be of any suitable construction and arrangement for supporting the operating mechanism.

Supported in the top of this frame is Aan elongated pan or kettle or container 4, to hold the cooking' fluid, such as deep oil, deep fat, or any other cooking fluid suitable for the matter to be cooked. Said container tapers upwardly at its opposite ends so that a conveyor can be moved down into and through said container and up out of` it at the other end, said tapering ends being designated 5, 5.

Supported under said container is a housing 6, for a series of heating elements, shown to be gas burners 1, 1, in the present embodiment of the invention, but any suitable heating means for the cooking fluid can be used.

An endless conveyor B is shown operating over v suitable pulleys or rollers, as 9, lil, II and I2, mounted on the supporting frame, 3, 3, as shown, and moving through said cooking container and In the the cooking material.

Mounted above said conveyor and said con- Vtainer `-is an endless member I3, running over Y two pulleys or rollers, as I4, I5, with its lower lap I3 moving adjacent the top lap of the main matter in a liatl'ayer on thefmain conveyor as it is moved through the cooking uid in the cooking pan or container 4.

, Supported on the frame, at the right hand end thereof, is a feed hopper I3, with a feed spout I6', with a bottom Il, and a lift door I8, which can be raised to different heights to permit the nuts or matter to be cooked to fall out and upon the conveyor 8 and to spread thereon before it reaches the conveyor. A pan I9 is mounted under the end of said conveyor, at the feed station, whereby siftings can fall through the conveyor and into this pan and thus not be carried into the cooking fluid.

On the lunder side of said conveyor 8, I have provided a plurality of scraping members, as 20 and 2|, of different widths and arranged in staggered relationship so that one set of scraping members will follow a preceding set of scraping members in such a Way as to make sure that kthe entire surface is scraped. The scraping members are preferably of long and short pieces of blue clock spring material, and by having a plurality of such members they will follow any irregularities on -the pan or kettle due to any distortion or other cause by reason of heat.

At the discharge end of said cooking container is a box or receptacle of wire mesh, as 22, with a pan 23 thereunder, to receive the scrapings from the bottom of the cooking container, in a manner clearly illustrated.

motor tothe gear box, and whereby the drive and Y also the'speed can be regulated Within the usual arrangement, as may be desired. This, of course, is old and need not be shown in detail.

It is submitted that this method of continuous cooking of nuts andthe like has many advantages over the so-called, batch method inasmuch as it is much easier to maintain the desired temperature of the cooking fluid, Whereas,

when a large batch of nuts to be cooked is dumped into a kettle of cooking fluid, it is bound The discharge end of said conveyor discharges the cooked matter on to another endless conveyor 24, of Wire mesh, or other suitable material, whichV runs over pulleys or rollers 25, 26 and 21, the top lap, Whichis the receiving .lap

of said conveyor, runs over the open top .of a boxY 2B, having an opening y29 therein for the connection of the 'suction end of a blower (not shown) for the Vpurpose of creating'a suction down through said discharge conveyor 24, for the purpose of drawing off any odors, 'vapors or other matter which can and should be withdrawn Y so as to make the finished product as perfectV and edible as possible- Above this conveyor 24, is a salting Adevice,

consisting'oi a hopper39, with ahingedbottom 3i, normally held closed by a spring 32, the end y of said door 'or bottom projecting to a ratchet wheel 33, and by means of Which said bottom is vibrated for sifting salt on to said conveyor and the cooked Vmatter thereon even before it is cooled andthus morev effectively seasoning the .M

product. Y

The finished or cooked l product is discharged into a receptacle 34 at the left hand end of rthe structure.

The main conveyor 8 is driven from the pulley I2, on the 'same shaft with a sprocket 35, over which runs a sprocket chain 36, running over another small sprocket '36' and thence over va large sprocket 31, on the same shaft with the pulley or roller 2', around which the conveyor y gear reduction boxor case 39, at one 'side ofto alfect the temperature of said cooking fluid and take time toV again bring it up to normal temperature.

I claim:

l. 'In an apparatus of the character described, a container for cooking fluid, means thereunder for heating it, an endless conveyor of lwire-mesh mounted tobe moved continuously through said cooking fluid therein, to *carry matter-fte be cooked through the cooking fluid, a plurality offspring scrapers on the vunder side Y'of said conveyor, arranged Ycrossvvise thereof andin staggered relationship to 'Scrapers ahead of'thein, whereby to -cover the entire surface of thebottom of said container, 'means vfor driving said conveyor, and anendless member abovelsaid con-L veyor and having `its lower lapl adjacent said mainv conveyor as they move through the cook; ing iiuid, wherebyvto hold matter'being cooked submerged in the cooking fluid. L

"2. A continuous cooker for nutsand the like including `an elongated container 4for cooking lfluid land having an inclined end licor, heating Ameans therefor, an kendless conveyor lof'v/ire mesh mounted with `means for moving it conl tinuously through said container'an'd said `cookveyor for continuously `scraping the bottom of which is a small drive sprocket, heretofore referred to as 36', driven from the gear box for driving the sprocket chain 36, from which both ,Conveyors 8 and 24 are driven in the manner indicated from pulleys or rollers I2 and'21, respectively. Y y

Supported under said mainvconveyor 8, and under the heating box 6, is `aninclined kpan or receptacle 40 to catch anydrippings from the main conveyor as it moves under said heating box.

The motor connection and the reduction gear mechanism can be of any suitable and standard type and vvvouldhave a control lever or shift lever, as at 4I, for controlling the drive from the `file of this patent:

said container, said scraper means being adapted to move thescrapings' up the inclined end floor and means Vfor catching the matter .scraped up by said scraper means.

. GEORGE-ASHTON.

REFERENcEs'c'ITEDf f The follov/ing references are of vrecordin the UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberV v Name Date 1,518,206 f Kramer DBC. 9, 1924 1,598,435 Gottschalk Aug. 31, 1926 1,737,363 Ehrhalt NOV. 26,(.1929 1,760,979 TFerry June 3, 1930 1,926,313 smith sept. 12, 1933 1,986,897 Shaw Jan. 8, 1935 2,196,991 Jacobs et al. Apr. 16, 1940 2,319,561

Scharsch May 18, 1943 

